Old Friend
by HeartsWatson
Summary: Watson returns to 221B Baker Street, only to find Holmes a wreck. Then Holmes and Watson both come to the realization of their true feelings for each other, and before they can confess their feelings for one another, something terrible has happened to Holmes.
1. Chapter 1

**Watson's POV:**

"Good afternoon Doctor! It's been such a long time since you've come to visit!" said Mrs. Hudson. She gestured me inside. "Mr. Holmes is upstairs as usual."

I thanked her and walked up the familiar steps of my old flat. I thought of all the good memories of living here with my friend, Holmes. It was so difficult for me to leave him, emotionally and physically. On the day I departed he clasped to my arm like a small child begging me not to leave. But I had to. I had to start my new life with Mary. It seemed like a great idea for her and I at the time, but since we moved in together, things just began spiraling downward in our relationship.

As I reached the top of the stairs, I knocked on Holmes's door. I heard the sudden clinking of glass and other various breaking sounds when I realized Holmes was rushing to answer the door. The doorknob wiggled a bit, then the door was opened to show Holmes staring at me with his deep, brown eyes. He looked at me in disbelief, then, suddenly, he wrapped his arms around me and embraced me. He held me tight as I stood there for a couple seconds, and then he let go.

"Watson, I… uh… sorry."

"It's quite alright, old boy," I said, "I too have missed you very much."

He looked as me with an awkward half-smile. I saw a glimmer of joy in his eyes and knew he was happy to see me. He then motioned for me to enter the room.

It was a mass, as I had suspected. There was clutter everywhere, old newspapers articles, and what I assumed were tools he used for his experiments. There was also an odd scent in the room, as if he had been working with some chemicals. I took a seat in my old chair, which sat in the same position that it had when I lived here. I so greatly missed those old days.

Holmes sat in a chair across the room from me. He picked up a newspaper and began to skim through the pages.

"What brings you here, Watson?" He was obviously trying to avoid making eye contact with me. "I thought your new life with Mary was too busy to set aside time to visit me."

"I have come to tell you something important, Holmes." I did not wish to comment on his last line. "I will explain but first may I kindly ask you how you've been?"

He took a moment to glance up at me from his paper. He set his newspaper down on a table beside him. He said, "How do you think I've been, Watson?" I noticed that the twinkling in his eyes had faded. He stood and walked over to look out a window at the dreary, gray sky. "How would you feel if the person whom you trusted most left you alone while they went on to a better life? A life, where they completely forgot about you." My insides churned at this sense of guilt.

"My best…no, only friend in this world left me. I know have to pay the rent myself, which I can barely afford alone. I have also lost the comfort of knowing that there is someone who actually cares about my health and well-being."

It was then that I realized how skinny Holmes was. He was pale and looked very unhealthy. My eyes quickly glanced around the room until I saw it. On the table lied a bottle, and a syringe.

"Do you know how difficult it has been for me to find a way to stimulate my mind since you have left?" He turned and looked at me with watery eyes. "Don't you know how long I have been waiting just to see you again?"

There was a long silence. I watched a tear drop from his eye. I took a breath and found my throat to be very dry. I said to Holmes, "I wanted to tell you that I am leaving Mary. We are getting a divorce."


	2. Chapter 2

I thank all of you who have left me comments on my first chapter. If you are reading this chapter, post a comment and tell me what you think! Your kind words really motivate me to want to write more :3

**Holmes's POV:**

My eyes widened in disbelief. "Watson is leaving Mary?" I thought. A million different feelings swarmed in my mind. I was still angry and broken inside because of Watson leaving me for that horrible woman, but I became very excited at the thought that Watson may want to spend more time with me now. Maybe even rebuild our previous relationship…

"I would like to ask you, Holmes if I may move back in with you," Watson said.

"I suppose you may." I said, careful of hiding my true emotions.

I thought I saw a slight smile come about his face when he replied, "Wonderful." He then told me that he still had to gather some of his belongings from his home with Mary. He said that he would be ready to settle at Baker Street within 2 or 3 days. He got up out of his chair to leave, and I stood to open the door for him.

When he was about to make his way down the stairs, he looked at me with a smile. He said, "Oh, how I've missed you Holmes."

I replied, "Really? I've barely noticed your absence," grinning back at him. Watson let out a slight chuckle, and left.

* * *

I went back to the living room, picked up my pipe, and sat down for some thinking. "Watson is finally mine again," was my first thought. I have my boswell back. I know that he left me for Marywhich caused me to fall apart, but I still can't shake the feeling of my attraction to Watson. Before Mary came, I loved Watson to the greatest extent that any friend could. But my love for him grew to be more than that of a friend. And when I saw Watson today, for the first time in a long time, all those feelings of love for him were enlightened. I was extremely angry and depressed because of his leaving me for Mary, but all those angry feelings began to fade when I saw him again. Maybe he is sorry for what he did, and he wants to develop a new friendship… or relationship with me again.

Although, I never told Watson of my true attraction to him in fear that he didn't feel the same way. But now that he left Mary, he had some reason to come back for me. He could have gone somewhere else, but something made him come back to living with me. He must've had a reason to want to be with me again. Maybe he feels the same way? But… I'm not sure. For he can still occasionally act like the tightly knit military doctor he was. Anything of that nature I'm speaking of in the armed forces would probably result in some form of humility or hatred… But anyway, I will have my Watson back with me again, and right now, that's all that matters.

* * *

**Watson's POV:**

As I hailed a cab to take me to the house Mary and I lived in for one final trip, I began to think about the way Holmes was acting towards me today. He was being very affectionate with that hug… not that I'm complaining. That hug made me think that there is still a chance that Holmes and may have a relationship together someday.

I wasn't always sure of my true feelings for Holmes. For a long time I thought of him as only my dearest friend, and nothing more than that. But then I began to realize all the little quirks about him that I loved. Like the way he becomes so determined when he is working on a case. Or that devilish look he gets in his eyes when he has a brilliant idea. I have also learned to love all his wise cracks about things he finds dull or without purpose, like Scotland Yard.

All these little things I love about Holmes have made me realize what an amazing man he is. His brilliance and intelligence blow me away. Also, his strength and fighting skills impress me very much, for he was never trained. The way that he deduces so many facts from the tiniest of details just makes me want to listen to every word he says. And even when he acts so serious, he finds the time to make a joke about something.

I just find everything about him so intriguing. He has so many skills that he has learned to utilize so well. Besides being so intelligent I do also find him very… well… handsome. But I shall never tell him any of this. He can be so difficult sometimes and he does not like discussing the concept of love or relationships. Sometimes I just wonder why he has never even attempted to have a relationship. There are plenty of women out there who are attracted to him… at least, it is obvious that Irene Adler is one of them.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a long time. My last day of school is tomorrow but my teachers have still been piling work on me. Ugh. Anyways, I am really excited because I finally came up with a great plot for this story! Also, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows cam out on dvd this past Wednesday :DDD ! I got it on Wednesday and watched it over and over because I love it sooo much! There's even a special feature about the chemistry between Holmes and Watson xD! I apologize for being so obsessed! We all have our extreme fan moments, don't we? :D

Sorry about that…

Enjoy :3

**Holmes's POV:**

Watson returned to Baker Street two days later. This time he did not knock when he entered our flat. He just pleasantly walked in like he used to, when he lived here before he met _Mary_. But since she's gone now, maybe Watson will act the way he did before meeting Mary. The way that I loved to see him.

Watson greeted me with, "Good Afternoon, Holmes," as he walked through the living room, heading towards his room and carrying some suitcases. He then came back into the living room, and sat down in his chair to read the paper. This was one of the ways that I loved seeing Watson. Slouched in his chair with his feet crossed on the table, occasionally smirking at an article he found humorous. I let out a soft chuckle and smiled, looking at Watson. He flipped down the top of his newspaper and looked at me questioningly.

"Oh, nothing," I said, for his expression was asking me why I had chuckled.

"What is it, Holmes," he asked.

I sighed and said to him, "It's just… I've missed seeing you so comfortable and happy living here with me. Acting the way you did before… Mary."

"Holmes, Mary means nothing to me anymore," he said reassuringly. I only care about our rela-…. Er, friendship."

I thought to myself for a moment. Did he just almost say "relationship"? He couldn't have. Or… maybe he did want to say relationship. I hope he wanted to. I then smiled back at Watson to show I was grateful of his comforting words.

As he returned to reading the paper I stood and asked him, "Would you like some tea, Watson?"

"I'd love some," he replied. "Do you remember how I like my tea?"

"Of course I do," I said in protest. "Sugar, with a splash of milk."

"Correct," he said, sounding impressed. "Your memory is not at all lacking."

"Why would you doubt me, Watson? Have you forgotten that my mental capacity is ten times that of an average person? It's rather unmatchable," I said with a smirk. Watson laughed, and I went to the kitchen to prepare our tea.

As I returned with our tea, I immediately noticed a letter in a neatly concealed envelope had been placed on the table. When I handed Watson his tea, he thanked me and said, "Mrs. Hudson brought that letter in for you. She didn't say who it was from."

I picked up the letter and announced the sender's name. "Moriarty," I said, "Professor Moriarty." Watson looked at me with concern as I opened the letter. It was written in very neat cursive handwriting, obviously done by someone that had been trained. There was also a splash of some substance stained into the paper. I sniffed it and proclaimed, "wine," to tell Watson. I then began to examine the letters on the paper which were:

Dear Mr. Holmes,

F oc bmxtgqq vsh hydo qd f vhhsalr. Dr bnaudsmqf hqrb mwrxqqbd tq dxst qed wcps Fv. Glaimo tl qphuo rdfnhduh nolt vun mp Drtct Fvqaop. Adr qdnc lc dlot fudcq wo syld rcx drhm. Osrlmmtdwrrda lsc thf, lfcf vfolbqtcc alrc qdh ctnm raoy qmso. Fh raorehhycg oocc osofnphe spncirdha dffn mxt hqnatcpav laml rdbo bwnfvxrfln aduow nnr ebhifaalh ig qyf rlkan dllnwkof. Vllf dlald gqlsrrcmm op ordr D bspehuo S ntfpq vxtnvrsogrg vqx rxsc qvloftu him dgntqhxtm tyollf hsgr xuh xlesdg yks, dswttg doolfs ko tmist vrewoky. Twx rvws eytl eo gc zlru lu ddiu S dlzs xmq ctao ei dmic oocslekpodclyk srydtpko olrw. Zkduluows Y hwnu quki kio owissxysw, xss lor vues udt lnwf vosxkkqt wydtlcsu fiip so uus asgs v'do taoo id. Psd abt, iv css dszt ppeqtws ua xuadda nyio swvryi, A letzt lzyktu iao savs sptxt si om tpt kqy sxq oo iduleflk ttxt yoos tinad lriu sdsw. Yn R ddiu tyn, R dletwd'e fiio odkkty ivsuem tp iis iry oiy.

Sincerely,

Professor Moriarty


	4. Chapter 4

Yay! New chapter! :3 Btw, I was not expecting anyone to figure out what the hidden message was in the last chapter, because it is a very advanced type of cipher (or code) that I used a translator to make. Please leave comments to encourage me to upload faster!

Enjoy :D

**Watson's POV:**

"The letter is coded, Watson," he said to me.

"What type of code did he use," I asked.

"I am not yet sure," he said, biting his lip. "I can tell you right now, though, that Moriarty used a very complex and advanced code system."

"Well, can you decode it?" I asked anxiously.

"Of course I can. For I am-"

"-the great Sherlock Holmes," I said.

"Indeed," he replied. "Although, I am not yet sure what length of time it shall take me to decipher the letter."

"I see."

"I presume I will start now," he said, with a smile and excitement glittering in his eyes. "Will need a peaceful and silent workspace, though."

"Then I'll go to the market, so you may have peace and quiet," I said. He sat down with a pencil and paper, and began to decrypt the letter.

"Thank you, Watson," he said with his eyes still fixated on Moriarty's letter.

I stood and grabbed my coat and swordstick, then started for the door.

"It's the Bifid cipher," Holmes stated.

"The what?" I said in confusion.

"The coding system Moriarty used. It's the Bifid cipher."

"Oh," I said. "Making progress already?"

"Yes."

I smiled and said to Holmes, "I will be back within the hour."

"I will be here," he replied, immersed in the letter.

I then left, confident that Holmes would solve the hidden message in Moriarty's letter.

- my lovely page break ;D -

I returned to my residence at Baker Street exactly 40 minutes later, with Holmes no where to be found.

My mind went into complete panic mode. I ran through every room in the house numerous times, looking for him. I then thought, "Maybe he left to get something." I asked Mrs. Hudson if she saw Holmes leave, but she told me that she didn't even hear a thing while I was gone.

I went back to the living room and began to frantically search for anything that could be a hint to what happened to my beloved Holmes. I would never be able to live with myself if something bad were to happen to him. I love him with all my heart, and life without him would be unthinkable.

My eyes moved to the table where Holmes was working on decoding Moriarty's letter. He already had some of it figured out. It read:

Dear Mr. Holmes,

I am sending you this as a warning. My resources have informed me that the good Dr. Watson is again residing with you at Baker Street. You must be very happy to have him back. Unfortunately for you, that happiness will not last very long. My assistants have recently acquired some old documents that were previously under the ownership of our prime minister. With these documents in hand I believe I could disassemble and then rebuild our political system from the inside out, having myself in total control. The only flaw to my plan is that I need the help of your intellectually advanced mind. But, you will not have finished decoding this before v'do taoo id. Psd abt, iv css dszt ppeqtws ua xuadda nyio swvryi, A letzt lzyktu iao savs sptxt si om tpt kqy sxq oo iduleflk ttxt yoos tinad lriu sdsw. Yn R ddiu tyn, R dletwd'e fiio odkkty ivsuem tp iis iry oiy.

Sincerely,

Professor Moriarty

"Oh, god."

-my lovely page break-

I've decided to leave off there. I will hopefully be uploading more soon, but no guarantees, for I will be in Florida starting Tuesday, and I have to travel from my residence there to get internet connection. Which, utterly, sucks.


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